Two NC Chamber Foundation team members were recognized among the next generation of leaders shaping North Carolina’s economy and communities at the N.C. Rural Economic Summit in Greenville this week.

Business North Carolina has named Sarah Grace Stone Lee, NC Ag Leads manager, and Vincent Ginski, senior director of workforce competitiveness, to its 2026 Trailblazers list, which recognizes North Carolinians under 40 making an impact in business and in rural North Carolina communities.

For the NC Chamber Foundation, the recognition also reflects the impact of two major bodies of work focused on North Carolina’s long-term competitiveness — strengthening the future of agriculture and building the workforce employers need to grow.

Advancing the Future of North Carolina Agriculture

An eighth-generation farmer from Robeson County, Sarah Grace brings a unique perspective to her role leading the day-to-day work of NC Ag Leads.

Over the past two years, she has played a central role in moving the strategic plan from research to action, convening leaders across agriculture, business, education, and government around the future of North Carolina’s largest industry. Her work has included strengthening relationships through Grow Together North Carolina, supporting development of the Farmer Innovation Bridge to accelerate agricultural technology adoption, advancing national conversations around H-2A workforce solutions, and helping guide the acquisition and integration of AgBio+Catalyst.

Her connection to the work is also deeply personal. Sarah Grace remains involved in her family’s Robeson County farming operation while growing her own entrepreneurial venture, G’s Jams. That combination of firsthand agricultural experience and statewide leadership gives her a distinctive understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing North Carolina farmers.

“Sarah Grace’s lifelong experience in agriculture and agribusiness gives her an authenticity and credibility that brings tremendous value to our work for North Carolina’s #1 industry,” said Ray Starling, president of the NC Chamber Legal Institute and general counsel of the NC Chamber. “She also has a remarkable ability to bring people together and turn big ideas into practical solutions, and that combination makes her an important leader for the future of our state’s business community.”

Building Employer-Led Workforce Solutions

From Gastonia, Vincent is helping build a more employer-driven approach to ensuring the North Carolina has the talent our economy needs.

As senior director of workforce competitiveness, Vincent has led the NC Chamber Foundation’s efforts to scale Talent Pipeline Management across North Carolina, helping employers take a more active role in building talent pipelines aligned with real workforce demand.

His leadership has been particularly important to North Carolina’s Health Talent Alliance, a public-private partnership focused on closing workforce gaps in health care. Working with partners across the state, Vincent has helped advance efforts to project talent demand, address nursing supply gaps, improve alignment between employers and education providers, and build data infrastructure to better inform workforce decisions.

His expertise has also earned national recognition. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation has selected Vincent as a Talent Pipeline Management Faculty, Fellow, and Mentor, and he has shared his expertise with organizations across North Carolina and beyond.

“Vincent has a unique ability to take complex workforce challenges and turn them into solutions employers and partners can act on,” said Meredith Archie, president of the NC Chamber Foundation. “He understands the data, listens to what businesses need, and brings the right people together to move the work forward. His leadership has been instrumental in growing the NC Chamber Foundation’s employer-driven approach to workforce development across North Carolina, and I’m incredibly proud to see his impact recognized.”

Turning Research Into Action

While their areas of focus are different, Sarah Grace and Vincent’s work reflects the NC Chamber Foundation’s efforts to bring employers and partners together, use data to better understand complex challenges, and turn that work into practical solutions that strengthen North Carolina’s competitiveness.

Their recognition as 2026 Business North Carolina Trailblazers is a testament not only to what they have already accomplished, but to the leadership they are bringing to two issues that will help shape North Carolina’s economic future.